To say that the Bible does not focus on pastors i.e., the church having a single pastor or a lead pastor, or that " IT APPEARS NOWHERE IN THE NEW TESTAMENT", is nothing short of ridiculous and unbiblical. It is obvious from the book of Revelation that our Lord Jesus Christ has great concern for HIS CHURCH and recognized and supported the principle of single or lead pastors of a local church body as being both necessary and biblical when we read the following:
"Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking with me. And having turned I saw SEVEN GOLDEN LAMPSTANDS;
AND IN THE MIDDLE OF THE LAMPSTANDS I saw one like a son of man, clothed in a robe reaching to the feet, and girded across His chest with a golden sash." (Revelation 1:12-13, NASB Emphasis Added)
"In His RIGHT HAND HE HELD SEVEN STARS" (Revelation 1:16a, NASB Emphasis Added)
Who are these "seven stars" and what are the "seven lampstands"? God's Word tells us exactly what they are by interpreting them for us:
"As for the mystery of the SEVEN STARS which you saw IN MY RIGHT HAND, and the seven golden lampstands: THE SEVEN STARS ARE THE ANGELS OF THE SEVEN CHURCHES, and the SEVEN LAMPSTANDS ARE THE SEVEN CHURCHES." (Revelation 1:20, NASB Emphasis Added)
When the Apostle John sees the Lord Jesus Christ he sees Him in the middle of the seven individual churches. His care and concern for them is so great that He also has the SEVEN ANGELS i.e., the seven PASTORS of those seven churches IN HIS HAND! Angel" here is the Greek word "angalos" and it means "messenger". Note, the scripture does not say Jesus had 14, 21, 28 or a lot of "stars" in His hand it says He just had SEVEN =ONE angel for each of the seven churches.
It is obvious that the reference here to "ANGEL" is to the lead or single pastor of each of these seven churches and is not a reference to spirit beings known as angels. This is easy to interpret because in all seven letters to the seven churches found in Revelation chapters 2 and 3 each letter is specifically written and addressed: "To THE ANGEL (either single or head) of the church of... write" 2:1, 8, 12, 18, 3:1, 7, 14 (Revelation, NASB Emphasis Added)
Not only were these pastors ("angels") to receive these letters, they had a direct responsibility, as "messengers of God", to read these letters to their congregations who in turn had an obligation to "hear" (listen to what was being aid to them and apply it to their lives) what was being said to them by these individual "stars", "angels", pastors who were to read these letters, and in point of fact the entire book of Revelation, to their respective congregations:
‘He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. Revelation 2:7, 11, 17, 19, 3:6, 13, 22.
I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues which are written in this book;
and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his part from the tree of life and from the holy city, which are written in this book. (Revelation 22:18-19, NASB Emphasis Added)
While God's Word teaches the priesthood of the believer, it also clearly teaches the biblical role and office of pastor/elder/bishop. It is clear from Revelation that individual pastors of individual churches are both biblical, foundational and clearly evident in the New Testament and within the early church.
What about the idolatry problem of the church, or Pastor, or denomination etc.